For CIS steel buyers facing rouble-driven price hikes and sellers navigating the collapse of Black Sea shipping. Make data-driven decisions now. Download Report.

For Procurement Managers, This Report Solves:
The Russian rouble has surged to its strongest level since February 2023, mechanically forcing Russian mills to raise dollar-denominated billet prices even as Turkish buyers resist. Simultaneously, Novorossiysk port has suffered an operational collapse — only one tanker departed in an entire week — pushing war risk insurance premiums to new extremes. For procurement managers, the immediate challenge is determining whether to lock in tonnage before the rouble drives prices even higher, or whether the persistent bid-offer impasse in Turkey will finally force mills to concede. This weekly report provides the intelligence you need to separate currency noise from genuine supply tightness, evaluate alternative routing that avoids Black Sea risk entirely, and prepare for the SPOT pre-clearance system before non-compliant cargo is turned away at the Russian border.

Based on this week’s actionable analysis, procurement managers will find clarity on:

How to time commitments when the rouble is strengthening relentlessly and mills are raising dollar offers to preserve local-currency revenue — and whether waiting for a demand-driven correction is worth the risk of further currency appreciation.
Whether Black Sea shipments remain viable at all given that war risk premiums now add a substantial per-tonne landed cost, and which alternative ports and rail corridors offer a superior total-cost outcome.
How to accelerate Kazakh billet shipments before the June 11 public discussion deadline on a potential six-month export ban closes the window on Central Asia’s last sanctions-free, war-risk-free supply source.

For Sales Managers, This Report Solves:
The competitive landscape for CIS-origin billet has been fundamentally reset. The traditional Russian discount to Chinese material — a defining feature of global billet trade for over two years — has disappeared. Russian and Chinese FOB offers now stand at parity. For export sales managers, this means price alone is no longer a competitive advantage. At the same time, Ukraine is securing unprecedented political support in the European Parliament for a special CBAM regime that could restore access to its largest historical market, while Iran’s structural supply deficit continues to drain millions of tonnes from Asian markets. Knowing how to differentiate when price parity eliminates your traditional edge, and which markets are worth defending versus abandoning, separates revenue growth from volume loss.

Based on this week’s actionable analysis, sales managers will find immediate guidance on:

How to price and position Russian billet now that the historic discount to Chinese offers has vanished — and how to use delivery speed, payment channel cost savings, and prompt availability as competitive differentiators when price alone is no longer the advantage.
Where to redirect volumes that are no longer viable for EU destinations, with the 50% out-of-quota tariff taking effect on July 1 and the Russian steel phase-out confirmed through September 2028.
How to position Ukrainian material ahead of the European Parliament’s formal endorsement of special CBAM treatment — and which non-EU buyers to lock in now before a favorable political outcome redirects distressed Ukrainian supply back toward Europe.

Core Value Proposition (One Sentence):
Russian billet has converged to parity with Chinese offers for the first time in two years — driven by a rouble at its strongest since February 2023 and a Black Sea port in operational collapse — forcing both buyers and sellers to completely rewire their pricing, logistics, and competitive strategies.

Note: This weekly report includes a dedicated Week-on-Week Deep Dive section comparing current data against last week’s figures across price trends, policy dynamics, exchange rates, logistics, and market sentiment, providing an unparalleled view of market momentum.

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